Ultrafast modulation of 1.55-um QW laser structures: optically detected carrier dynamics, limiting mechanisms, and applications

Hartmut Hillmer; Saulius Marcinkevicius

doi:10.1117/12.342362

15 March 1999 Ultrafast modulation of 1.55-μm QW laser structures: optically detected carrier dynamics, limiting mechanisms, and applications

Hartmut Hillmer, Saulius Marcinkevicius

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3734, ICONO '98: Fundamental Aspects of Laser-Matter Interaction and New Nonlinear Optical Materials and Physics of Low-Dimensional Structures; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.342362
Event: ICONO '98: Laser Spectroscopy and Optical Diagnostics: Novel Trends and Applications in Laser Chemistry, Biophysics, and Biomedicine, 1998, Moscow, Russian Federation

Abstract

This paper proceeds from basic research on carrier dynamics to applications in high-speed laser devices. Different retardation mechanisms are studied experimentally and theoretically providing input for the design of high-speed laser devices. Optically detected carrier dynamics in III/V semiconductor quantum well (QW) heterostructures perpendicular to the interfaces is studied. Photoluminescence emissions originating from different semiconductor layers are recorded time-resolved to probe the carrier dynamics between these layers. High spatial and temporal resolution is obtained experimentally, partly even in the nm and sub-ps ranges, respectively. Retardation effects are separated and studied experimentally and theoretically by corresponding model calculations. A material comparison shows that GaInAsP is beneficial due to considerable advantages in technological implementation processes and AlGaInAs is superior from a physical point of view enabling higher modulation band-widths due to larger conduction band discontinuities. The equalization of the carrier densities in the individual wells is found to be mainly retarded by hole thermionic emission. Hole transport in the p-sided confinement layer and electron capture from the p-sided confinement layer is also found to be also a limiting factor. These results are used to optimized AlGaInAs/InP lasers with asymmetric confinement layers. The p-sided confinement layer is reduced on the costs of the n- sided confinement layer to obtain (1) a faster hole transport across the p-sided confinement layer and (2) to accelerate the capture of electrons from the p-sided confinement layers being uncaptured during the transfer across the QWs. In our experiments a modulation bandwidth of 26 GHz is obtained. Even higher values are found in corresponding theoretical model calculations demonstrating an interesting development potential.

Citation Download Citation

Hartmut Hillmer and Saulius Marcinkevicius "Ultrafast modulation of 1.55-μm QW laser structures: optically detected carrier dynamics, limiting mechanisms, and applications", Proc. SPIE 3734, ICONO '98: Fundamental Aspects of Laser-Matter Interaction and New Nonlinear Optical Materials and Physics of Low-Dimensional Structures, (15 March 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.342362

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